22 Jun 2022

The Kimberly Process Civil Society Coalition has  expressed disappointment at the mechanism’s silence over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

  In an interview, the society’s committee member, Mr Brima Abu warned that inaction could undermine Kimberly Process’ (KP) credibility and integrity not only as a conflict prevention mechanism, but also as a trade regulation system.

He expressed the society’s concern about the Russia-Ukraine situation, especially since Russia was a major diamond producer.

“It is worth noting that the Russian state-run mining company Alrosa is one of the largest international mining companies with a huge financial base on diamonds. Therefore, it goes without saying that revenues from diamonds could be used to finance the Russia-Ukraine war, which clearly defines conflict diamonds,” he said. Mr Abu pleaded with KP members to agree on expansion of its conflict diamond definition to include gems associated with widespread or systematic violence and serious violations of human rights.

“I challenge KP member states and organisations to suspend the Russian Federation and thereby stop certifying Russian diamonds as conflict-free until Russia unconditionally ends its aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

Mr Abu said KP should adopt a meaningful reform agenda that at the minimum would put an end to what he termed the stifling consensus model and replace it with more flexible decision-making.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, he said, should facilitate rather than complicate the industry’s acceleration efforts towards traceability. 

Mr Abu said the society remained committed to improving diamond governance and protecting the rights of communities affected by its mining.

 Meanwhile the society has endorsed Botswana’s bid to host the Kimberly Process secretariat due to the country’s rich history in diamond mining.

“Our endorsement is solely based on the strides the country has made in the diamond mining industry as a major producer. We are of the view that Botswana has a better understanding of the diamond mining industry ahead of China and Austria who have also shown interest,” he said.

Mr Abu said the fact that Botswana had been a member of KP since its inception was an added advantage. It was also pleasing that Botswana continued to be ranked favourably by various international institutions due to factors such as competitive mining laws, low sovereign risk and good governance, he said.

With its socio-economic fabric that was influenced by diamond mining, Mr Abu said, Botswana had what it took to continue being the beacon of development and transformation. ENDS